Chain of verbal reasoning

This country (LAOS) is an anagram (ALSO) of a synonym (TOO) of a homophone of a prime number TWO) and a homophone (LOUSE) of an anagram of a capital city (SEOUL).

This ex Prime Minister’s surname (CAMERON) is an anagram (ROMANCE) of a synonym (LOVE) of an anagram of a rodent (VOLE).

This emotion (FEAR) is an anagram (FARE) of a homophone (FAIR) of an antonym (FOUL) of a homophone (FOWL) of an anagram of a canine animal (WOLF) that is a synonym (EAT) of an anagram (ATE) of a homophone of a single digit number (EIGHT).

No hints from Harry this week, so well done to those of you who completed the chain of verbal reasoning on at least one of the questions.

We had a rather interesting proposal for an alternative solution to Question 2 from Madness:

This ex Prime Minister’s surname (EDEN) is an anagram (NEED) of a synonym (LOVE) of an anagram of a rodent (VOLE).

Strange symmetry

For the late May Bank Holiday we brought you an extraordinarily Cryptic Crossword from the devious minds at GCHQ. The beautifully formatted solution was provided for us by competitor Gordonwelshman. Thank you!

Box Office Smashes

Fans of Richard Osman’s House of Games might recognise this. Have fun. And if Richard is taking part, please do let us know!) As usual, post your solutions on the Forum, with your time, and if we can get round to it we will edit them out and leave you the glory.

Esther Blodgett is injured in combat and becomes an anti-war activist.

A Star is Born on the Fourth of July

A medic, sacked after being caught on the roof of the nurses’ home, visits Nepal to acquire new skills.

Carry On Doctor Strange

A Cheltenham man foils a Nazi plot.

Eddie the Eagle Has Landed

A spy on the hunt for a Soviet encryption device gets involved in the romantic entanglements of eight different couples.

From Russia With Love Actually

A bookstore worker has a facial transplant and becomes a fashion model.

Funny Face/Off

A jaded weatherman repeatedly hides from zombies in an underground military bunker.

Groundhog Day of the Dead

After Cliff Richard runs over a pedestrian with his bus, he is stalked by a mysterious hook-wielding figure.

I Know What You Did Last Summer Holiday

In a dystopian future, an American book collector swaps letters with a London bookseller.

Nineteen Eighty-Four Charing Cross Road

A repressed butler is separated from his son during a climate change disaster.

Remains of the Day After Tomorrow

At the age of 121, a mouse recounts the story of his life to a historian.

Stuart Little Big Man

An actress is sacked from her role on a soap opera, and can only get VoiceOver work on a Tarzan spoof.

The Killing of Sister George of the Jungle

Mr Dashwood discusses his family’s prospects with Cole Sear.

The Sixth Sense and Sensibility

A man hires a private investigator to track down his former prom date, who is now working as a nanny.

There’s Something About Mary Poppins

A football manager takes charge of the Midwich team, but his tenure only lasts for a month and a half.

Box Office Smashes

Fans of Richard Osman’s House of Games might recognise this. Have fun. And if Richard is taking part, please do let us know!) As usual, post your solutions on the Forum, with your time, and if we can get round to it we will edit them out and leave you the glory.

Esther Blodgett is injured in combat and becomes an anti-war activist.

A Star is Born + Born on the Fourth of July = A Star is Born on the Fourth of JulyGet the idea?

A medic, sacked after being caught on the roof of the nurses’ home, visits Nepal to acquire new skills.

A Cheltenham man foils a Nazi plot.

A spy on the hunt for a Soviet encryption device gets involved in the romantic entanglements of eight different couples.

A bookstore worker has a facial transplant and becomes a fashion model.

A jaded weatherman repeatedly hides from zombies in an underground military bunker.

After Cliff Richard runs over a pedestrian with his bus, he is stalked by a mysterious hook-wielding figure.

In a dystopian future, an American book collector swaps letters with a London bookseller.

A repressed butler is separated from his son during a climate change disaster.

At the age of 121, a mouse recounts the story of his life to a historian.

An actress is sacked from her role on a soap opera, and can only get VoiceOver work on a Tarzan spoof.

Mr Dashwood discusses his family’s prospects with Cole Sear.

A man hires a private investigator to track down his former prom date, who is now working as a nanny.

A football manager takes charge of the Midwich team, but his tenure only lasts for a month and a half.

Box Office Smashes

Fans of Richard Osman’s House of Games might recognise this. Have fun. And if Richard is taking part, please do let us know!) As usual, post your solutions on the Forum, with your time, and if we can get round to it we will edit them out and leave you the glory.

Esther Blodgett is injured in combat and becomes an anti-war activist.

A medic, sacked after being caught on the roof of the nurses’ home, visits Nepal to acquire new skills.

A Cheltenham man foils a Nazi plot.

A spy on the hunt for a Soviet encryption device gets involved in the romantic entanglements of eight different couples.

A bookstore worker has a facial transplant and becomes a fashion model.

A jaded weatherman repeatedly hides from zombies in an underground military bunker.

After Cliff Richard runs over a pedestrian with his bus, he is stalked by a mysterious hook-wielding figure.

In a dystopian future, an American book collector swaps letters with a London bookseller.

A repressed butler is separated from his son during a climate change disaster.

At the age of 121, a mouse recounts the story of his life to a historian.

An actress is sacked from her role on a soap opera, and can only get VoiceOver work on a Tarzan spoof.

Mr Dashwood discusses his family’s prospects with Cole Sear.

A man hires a private investigator to track down his former prom date, who is now working as a nanny.

A football manager takes charge of the Midwich team, but his tenure only lasts for a month and a half.

Architecture Dreaming

Something of an amuse-bouche to entertain you while you continue to struggle with GCHQ Puzzle Challenge 6!

You would think the Pentagon would be the most obvious answer, though in fact more people chose the Baltimore World Trade Centre as their pick of the world’s five sided buildings. The arithmetic is on the number of sides of each of the named ones. Well done if you got it!

VE Bank Holiday Crossword

Something completely different for the Bank Holiday Weekend! At first sight you might think we have made an error with the letter counts, but the GCHQ geniuses mean exactly what they say!

This is a crossword with a twist – each cell contains exactly one letter, but 38 characters are used in all! They all come from the English and Greek alphabets, and we have filled in a couple of the answers to help you get started:

1 Across: Pupil (P U Pi L)

1 Down: Prize task (geddit? Zeta in the middle!)

We will be back on Sunday with another challenge! (and a hint for this one, but not the solution – you will have all weekend to try it!)

VE Bank Holiday Crossword (Now with a couple of the answers supplied to get you started)

Something completely different for the Bank Holiday Weekend! At first sight you might think we have made an error with the letter counts, but the GCHQ geniuses mean exactly what they say!

This is a crossword with a twist – each cell contains exactly one letter, but 38 characters are used in all! They all come from the English and Greek alphabets, and we have filled in a couple of the answers to help you get started:

1 Across: Pupil (P U Pi L)

1 Down: Prize task (geddit? Zeta in the middle!)

We will be back on Sunday with another challenge! (and a hint for this one, but not the solution – you will have all weekend to try it!)

Cipher_Challenge

Last week of the 2020 Special Edition of the National Cipher Challenge, & I want to thank everyone who took part and everyone who encouraged them. We hope to be back in the Autumn. In the meantime we still have a few of our fabulous @GCHQ Puzzle Challenges to come, so stay tuned.

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